Somethin's Cookin'

A Belgian Reunion in Provo!

Here is a collection of pictures from our adventures at Grandpa Page's Cabin:

I really don't feel up to writing July's post, but I appreciate that you spend your valuable time reading these posts. Personally, I think I have a pretty rad family, so I can understand why you would want to know what neat things they did this past month. However, my opinion is a bias one.(Does "rad" date me? Did you just get a ninja-turtle flashback with Splinter and the boys eating pizza?)

Waves of nausea, no energy, extreme fatigue and emotional roller coasters. It could be one of two things, and since I'm too young for menopause......I'm prego! Due February 23rd, and with the way I've been sick (all day and into the night, just as I was with Ella), I'll be very surprised if this one is not a girl. I'm just keeping my fingers and toes crossed that, as with all other 3 of my pregnancies, after the 12th week I should be golden. (6 days and counting)

Joshua

Jr. Studmuffin saw a flyer for the Kaysville 5k "fun run" (oxymoron). He was very excited about it, so I signed Cam, Josh and myself up. Josh and I trained for the event (he whined more than I did, believe it or not). 8am on Independence day finally rolled our way, and Josh finished great. I think our time was around 38 minutes. For a 6 year old I think he kicked butt. Good job little buddy!

Joshy-boy also turned 7 this month. He got a trampoline. So far, no broken limbs or cases of paralysis, but the summer is still young. I think Dax and Ella love it the most. They will jump for hours on end ("Mom, I'm tired"). It's been a great investment (hours of fun without me having to do much of anything).

Harry Potter Cake, complete with a magic wand that Cam Widdled and I sanded and stained.

Josh quotes of the month:
1-"I love vacations. You get to pee in the bushes."
2-"Mom, you better not do anything selfish, there's a cop right next to us."

Daxton

Tree house museum. There were wizard costumes, cloaks, etc, and Dax chooses the princess dress.

We took the kids up to Grandpa Page's Cabin and spent two nights in the hills of Little Cottonwood Canyon. There's nothing quite like a deep breath of crisp, pine-filled air. The kids had a blast.

While there, Cam took the kids fishing. They each took turns holding the line, but Josh was the only one who got a catch. He reeled in a beautiful rainbow trout. Our intent was to catch and release, but this little fish swallowed the hook and was pretty cut up. Josh decides to keep it. The kids were fascinated with this fish, and for some odd reason, were very intent upon touching his eye ball. During all of this, Josh continued to ask "Is he dead yet?" Cam showed Josh how to clean the fish (I closed my eyes, so as to keep myself from vomiting in the lake.) All I could hear was Josh saying "OOh, that's gross. Is he dead now?" Hanging limply from a stick, the fish was carried back to the car by Dax who proudly shoved the fish in the faces of children passing by. When we arrived back to the cabin, Josh wouldn't get out of the car. "What's wrong Josh?" "I just don't feel good." Being his mother, I immediately knew what the problem was. "Is it the fish, Josh?" And he promptly burst into tears. My sensitive little guy felt so bad for taking the fishes life! We had a good talk about why God put certain things on the earth, and that it is okay to hunt and use the meat or the fur of animals; but that it is wrong to kill things only for the kill. Great lessons learned that day. This story is put under Daxton's heading because he LOVED eating this fish! Cam grilled it, and I thought the kids might try a little bite, but he almost ate the whole fish in it's entirety.

Ella

Can you imagine this girl as a big sister? Scary thought. She's a spunky little red-head, and I completely dig on that; but I fear she will try with all her might to steal the spotlight from our new addition. Time will tell. Ella thinks that doing mean/bad things is quite hilarious. Josh is always saying, "She is pure evil." I don't think she's that bad, but she definitely has a look of terror, and when it's fixed upon you, look out.

Ella's quote of the month:
1-"Dad, don't go to work, stay here with me."
"Ella, I have to go to work to earn money to pay for our house."
"Oh. Do you want my piggy bank?"
Their expressions look glum, but they really were excited for the "big" Kaysville City Parade.

Cameron

Cam started his new job on Monday (same place, just different job). I am so appreciative of all the work he does for our family. He really is amazing. Last Saturday he picked up and vacuumed the house, and cleaned all the bathrooms. I feel bad because 5-8 pm is the time I feel the worst, so he has a pretty sick wife when he gets home. Sorry Cam, I will try to smile more.

Cam is planning on hiking the Tetons this September. I'm excited for him and hope the weather cooperates so he can summit this time.

Cindy

Eating a lot of food and sitting around, that's about all I'm good for lately. It's quite frustrating, actually. My family and neighborhood has a lot going on, things I could help with, but I just feel so lousy all the time. A few more weeks, that's what I keep telling myself.

We just bought a new camera this month! A Canon Rebel XSi. It is great, and I have already quadrupled the number of pictures I take in a month simply because it takes such great shots.

I really like to read and write. I often find myself imagining how I would write something I am viewing, or doing. Anyways, the other night I started writing this little story:

From the day she was born, she wanted more. Her first desire: more time in the womb. It was as if her little fingers were clinging to her mother’s uterus, hanging on for dear life. “Please don’t take me from this warm place, I want more time!” Thirty-six hours of labor (five of which were spent pushing), some forceps, and a vacuum later, and out popped baby girl. Poor mom. She barely had the energy to hold that child upon delivery. Perhaps the child knew the forecast, and that’s why she clung so hard. The severe, out-of-the ordinary blizzard was not anticipated, nor welcomed by any occupants of the small town. It was March, for crying out loud. Snow is not supposed to fall the way it did that night on March 17^th. But fall it did, in bucket loads. It took a day and a night just to plow out the hospital. Yes, it was a special day……which is why that mother held her new baby girl in her arms, and while gazing out at the snow drifts, named her Special.

It was an odd name, no doubt. Nicknames were attempted: Spesh, Speshy, S, little S….but none of them took. “Just call me Special.”

You think it would be hard to live up to a name like that, but Special had no problems whatsoever. She was different. Bold. She was that “diamond in the rough.” If only someone would have told her that, at least once, while growing up, maybe things would have been different. But perhaps that form of child-rearing was what Special needed to thrive the way she did.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me introduce you first. Shall we start from the beginning?

Special came into the world bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, with hair so red even Anne of Green Gables would have called her carrots. Plain ole “red” just doesn’t seem to do it justice. Imagine pumpkins in a pumpkin patch. The orange is so stark and bright in comparison with those green and twisty vines. Now take that bright orange color and place it on a head of hair. You couldn’t dye your hair this color. It was, well, special.

That's probably as far as it will go, but I felt better once I had written something.

Until next month!